no “samurai” “ninja” or “monks” but there are particular naval/warrior/administratior/worker/ritual/outcaste castes

family trade/resource networks distributed across ecosystems and spaces, a la Incas

close navigation to coasts, not the epic journeys of the Polynesians

but a huge Tang-style treasure fleet would be good

secret societies — an economy of secrets and taboo or proprietary social functions — like Bene Gesserit, Face Dancers, The Steersmen, from Dune. Or the Assassins and Roshaniya. Or the Yellow Scarves/Turbans of China